Hemric outlasts Ankrum for his first Martinsville win

The backflip celebration returned to Daniel Hemric's repertoire after winning the Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night, securing his first victory in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

A well-rehearsed celebration

"It's funny because my wife asked me a few weeks ago if I was too old to do it," said Hemric, 34. "I practiced once last week in the backyard. I thought, 'The old man can still do it,' and that's how it went tonight."

The Kannapolis, North Carolina native had only performed this acrobatic move once before in NASCAR national competition: when he won the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

Favorable circumstances at the finish

The victory came after a series of events affected other drivers. Corey Heim, who led 149 of 200 laps and won the first two stages, suffered a left-rear tire puncture after contact with Kaden Honeycutt's Chevrolet following a restart on lap 166.
Honeycutt took the lead, but on lap 187, Ty Majeski's Ford lost control next to Honeycutt's Silverado as they battled for position, sending both vehicles into the wall.
Tyler Ankrum, Hemric's McAnally-Hilgemann Racing teammate, inherited the lead. However, with just four laps remaining, Hemric used his bumper to dive inside Ankrum's truck, took the lead and pulled away to win by 0.544 seconds. This description better explains that Hemric made an inside pass, a common move on short ovals like Martinsville.

Teammate's response

"Congratulations to Daniel, I couldn't think of anyone better to win," said Ankrum. "Yeah, he used the bumper, but that's Martinsville. I'd rather have a teammate use that move to win so MHR gets the victory."

Jake Garcia finished third, followed by Chandler Smith and Ben Rhodes. Heim recovered to finish sixth after changing tires, but couldn't win in Toyota's 500th series start.

"I felt like we got used a little bit," Heim said about the contact with Honeycutt. "I don't think he meant to damage my rear tire. If he wanted to do that, he would have just hit me... I needed a better restart."

This marked the second consecutive week of disappointing results for Heim, who won the first two stages at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 21 before experiencing power issues in the closing laps and finishing third.

Despite these setbacks, Heim remains the series leader by 20 points over Majeski.

Double rewards in one night

For Hemric, this victory carried special significance. Beyond his first Truck Series win, he received Martinsville's signature grandfather clock trophy and a $50,000 bonus from the Triple Truck Challenge as the highest-finishing eligible driver.

The race averaged 57.364 mph and lasted 1 hour, 50 minutes and 2 seconds. There were 10 caution periods for 69 laps and 5 lead changes among 5 different drivers.

Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 Results